There are hundreds of books out there! And that makes it all the more difficult to choose which books to read up on when you're becoming a mother. Well, to help you, I will be writing a series of blog posts on what books are the best to read in a particular motherhood topic.
Now that you have created this new body for your baby you also fill his tummy and warm his heart with the mana-like breastmilk that you produce. It seems like a daunting task at first... having a tiny mouth suck on your nipples?! What if I don't produce enough? How will I know my baby is getting enough? How long is enough? Is it suppose to be painful? Won't bottle-feeding/formula be just as good? How long should I breastfeed? There are so many questions we have about this new experience. Luckily there is one book that has all the answers! I am not joking! This book is the breastfeeding bible. I have read others out there but this one is the best and the only one you need to have a great breastfeeding experience.
I cannot recommend this book enough! This book answers all the questions you will ever have on breastfeeding! La Leche League (who produced this book) is an International Breastfeeding Support Group. It is written by the best experts in breastfeeding. This book has been a light to me during the first year of breastfeeding. The book is organised by questions which makes it super easy to flip to the page you are desperately searching for. The book starts at the nesting phase in our pregnancy and answers all the basic questions we have and how we can prepare before birth. Then it moves onto building our network because support is vital to a good breastfeeding experience. There is a chapter on birth and on all we need to know about the birth-breastfeeding connection. In the next chapter, you will find all (and I mean ALL) the details about latching and attaching. The attachment is so important and very difficult if you don't know what you are doing. This in-depth chapter will answer every question you ask and didn't even think of! Then the next 7 chapters are on the different stages of breastfeeding: first few days, first two weeks, two to six weeks, six weeks to four months, four to nine months, nine to eighteen months, and toddlers. These chapters are phenomenal and full of brilliant information about each different stage and how we can survive and thrive through each one. The rest of the book is on big breastfeeding questions/topics: sleeping and night nursing, solids and weaning, pumping and going back to work, feeding premies. One of the last chapters "Tech Support" is the chapter I have used the most! It covers EVERYTHING that will come up in breastfeeding (low milk production, colic, sickness, engorgement, jaundice, sore nipples, oversupply, reflux, mastitis, thrust, etc). Then the last chapter is a quick overview of all the essential topics and resources. This book is the best companion you can have on this journey! I promise you it will save you!
There you have it! You really don't need any other book. If you are seeking more support please talk to the breastfeeding woman around you (you can also read my previous post on my experience with breastfeeding). You can also find a Le League Support Group near you by clicking here! I thought I was going to give up the first few weeks because of the pain and difficulty but now (at 11 months) I am still feeding and I really don't feel any discomfort (only pure bliss when my baby and I make eye connect and he strokes my chest). Feeding your baby this way will be the hardest and incredibly-beneficial journey for both of you. You can do this!
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